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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. fine — all right
  5. track — a song
  6. wake — a trail
  7. capital — a city
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. last — finally
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. track — to keep track
  14. fine — high quality
  15. last — to go on
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. last — final
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mine — for digging
  21. vault — a safe
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com